Education for Leisure short film

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kruidNvEhE

 Education for Leisure has won two awards, one at the Coca-Cola Cinemagic Film Festival 2010 and also the No limits award at the No Limits Film Festival in 2011. The film is inspired by a poem by Carol Ann Duffy and follows the day of a boy who is bothered by everything in his life but highlights the difference the small things make in life. This multi award winning short film targets both a teenage and adult audience; although the teenage audience will be larger because of the age range of the majority of characters in the film also a small adult audience would be formed by the roll the mother of the boy has in the film. The clothes and settings of the production target a modern audience and also most society classes.

 The codes and conventions of the production suggest the mental distress the boy feels and the pressure the world has on him, this is connoted when the boy is standing in the shower letting the water run over his head; this classic scene is associated with someone being in a stressful situation and finding some sort of escape through the running water.

The costume of the main character suggests a very laid back attitude towards rules and regulations of school policy as he has a dark coloured hoodie over the top of his school jumper and the laid back attitude is also connoted by the lowness of his bag. The dark colours the boy wears through out the film connote a mystery and depth to the character and as dark colours are associated with negative feelings this is also linked to the character. The big house and remoteness of the property connote wealth however seclusion from the outside world which also links to the characters own self seclusion.

 The music starts instantly after the boy is nearly knocked over by an on coming car, the music is slow and solum therefore connotes no panic or bother in the boy that he nearly got hurt which again links to his state of mind. A lot of the film is based a cruelness and killing of animals from the boy which may connote a deep hate for humanity and the world especially when he feels like a 'superstar' after murdering a girl.

Slow and fast motion is used in the film when the boy is walking through the school and around his house to show the detachment the boy feels from the world of reality.The most important connotation in the film is when time reverses right up to the point in the morning when the boys mother is leaving the house and instead of just leaving she goes up stairs wishes her son a good day; highlighting the importance of the little things in life however exaggerated the end circumstances may be.

An extreme close up is used at the beginning of the short film as the boy is waking up, this puts the audience immediatly in contact with the character and also makes the audience slightly disorientated because they dont know what is going on in the scene or the setting.

In this shot the camera is held at a tilt, this is an interesting angle for the audience to view as it almost suggests, because its such an abnormal view point, that we are looking in on something that isnt supposed or neccesserily viewed.

A low angle is used in the short film to create shading across the characters face to make him seem more domniating and suggest that his chracter is in power over the situation.

An over the shoulder shot is used when the boy is following the girl, this way the audience sees the reaction of the girl via her facial expressions but also connotes the fear of the boy speeding up behind her. This puts the audience in the position of the girl, of whom we know nothing about ad makes the audience connect with her.

Editing is used uniquely in this short film, slow motion is used frequently throughout, this creates suspense and puts the audience on edge. At the end of the short film some scenes are reversed to show time going back to the ealier morning when the boys mother is leaving, this connotes not only the time movement but also the butterfly effect of the whole film.

Sound is used very effectively in this short film. From the sound of the bed creaking to the crunch of the boys toast mostly every sound in the opening few minutes is amplified and made louder; this creates a the scenes slightly surreal however also makes the audience focus on the actions of the boy rather then the charcter himself which is a useful connection to be made at the start of the short film because of what comes later. Music is also played during the title sequence as the boy makes his way to school, this helps create interest to the scene and keeps the audience engaged.

Foreshadowing is created with sound when the boy makes the flip book of someone being murdered and you hear the stab of flesh and a girl screaming.

 The directer, writer, editor and producer of Education for Leisure is an award winning 18 year old film maker called Dan Allen. He has his own website and has an archive of short films and awards to his name. He started out producing his first film in senior school and then went on to enter film festivals and other award winning schemes. He also has funding from the BFI.

Leah Brine

The Plan short film

The Plan http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OGX8iYBBCE&feature=related

The Plan is a short film about a man putting everything he has in his life on red at a Las Vegas casino. His mission is to go back to the days when life was easy and things happened by chance and to find a new love in his life.

The codes and connotations of the short film suggest a modern day setting with parts of the past leaking through. A central object of the short film is the mans vintage camera that prints onto film instead of being digital; this object records his journey until it is stolen by a mysterious woman. The costume of the man suggests a laid back character with an average income; his phone however also has the same amount of screen time as his camera as it has the opposite message to convey; while his camera represents the freedom of his past, his phone represents the restriction of his present and possible future because of the constant calls from his girlfriend. The props used in the film such as the camera and the phone have an important role to play in the film as well as the mains small over night bag "filled with the essentials of survival" which help to show some humor in the character. The setting connotes freedom as he travels down a highway, the open spaces and mass of sky connote this also. The setting changes when the man meets the women and she steals his camera; trucks are parked in the open space, clouding his view of the woman and threatens to send him back to the modern world he is so desperate to get away from.

A long shot is used to show the man walking away from the camera towards the bank, this puts an emphasis on where he is going and not where he has come from at this point because the money is a very important part of the story and it is established in this shot.

A mid shot is used to highlight certain points of the mans newly found freedom, one is in the car when he is singing along to his radio. The mid-shot focus's the audience on the man and his actions rather then the cars outside.

Close-ups are used in the film to show the man enjoying his journey and taking in the surroundings and gives the audience a chance to see the mans face a bit clearer at this point of the film for a longer take.

An over the shoulder shot is used when the characters girlfriend is calling on the phone; the shot puts the audience in the position of the character and makes the audience either relate to a simiular experience they have had or sympathise with the character. This adds to the relationship between the audience and the character.

Another shot of the character involved the camera spinning around him in a moment of panic and frustration when his camera is stolen. This involves the audience in the fast of movement of the scene but also the head spinning frustration of the character. The type of shot not only adds to the intensity of the scene but allows the audience to see the entire surrounding area of the charcater which adds to the reality of the situation.

An Extreme close up is used when the lady hands the man his chips for the roulette table, this connotes the importance of the chips and the part they have to play in the up and coming scenes.

The entirety of the short film has been made black and white; this could connote many different things about the character and the situation. The black and white filter could connote the characters life that is still haunting him as it was not the life he wanted and may have drained his living of colour. Another reason for making the film black and white could be so that the audience dont focus too much on colour and dont get distracted by it but instead focus on the image. The varity of shots used espically in the montage of the man getting ready help move time along and show more of the characters experiences.
Slow motion is used as the man approaches the casino and throughout the scene as he bets on red and loses. This heightens the tension of the scene and makes it go a painfully slow for the audience to build anticipation. Throughout the slowmotion used on the betting table you see no people apart from the dealers hands to completely focus the audience on the table and nothing else.

Music is used throughout the film and heightens when the camera is stolen and when the man sees the picture of himself on the wall. Other sounds such as the ringing of the phone is quite piercing and is used to unsettle not only the character but also the audience. During the slow motion casino scenes a loud drawn out bell sound helps build tension for the audience and only stops when the game is over. Voice overs are used mostly in the film to connote the characters inner thoughts and feelings and is used effectively when the man is packing for his long journey to emphasize what is going on.

The target audience for this short film would range from modern young adults to adults maybe reaching the peek of middle age. This range would form as the young adults would recognize the modern setting, clothes and props whereas the storyline of adventure and escaping may appeal to older adults. The connotations created by the props would also appeal to middle aged people as the camera and old western style shack may remind them of places, movies and items they might of owned years before or maybe a lost passion.

The film was written, directed and produced by Matthew Kalish who is a 33 year old short film and video maker from New York. The film has been rated 6.1 on IMBD and follows a list of other successful short films produced by Kalish.

Leah Brine

Thirst short film

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ck0028dgUmA

Another short film that we decided for analysis is "Thirst", "Thirst" is a short film about a guy who is transported to the desert every time he touches water, for example when he takes a drink of water he is transported to the desert and the water that he is drinking has actually turned to sand. This also happens when he jumps into a swimming pool, he is then transported to the desert again. This short film has comedy touches which enlighten the mood of the short film.

This Short film was produced/directed by Keith Rivers and was written by Keith Rivers and Clark Koelsch. This short film had a lof of different crew that helped to create the short film, for example from directors of photography to music compositors to field audio and location scouts. The short film "Thirst" had a cast of five people these were Clark Koelsch (producer/director), Matt Yoakum, Rebecca Zamolo, Peanut who was the miniature Pincher and Chris Mceuen. The short film "Thirst" was a Doorpost Film Project in 2010.

The target audience for this short film would mainly be adults who enjoy the kind of humour that is being used in the short film "Thirst", The target audience is most likely to be adults rather than young people because of the fact that Young people might not understand the humour that is being used in the short film, and they might not enjoy how it keeps repeating its self throughout the short film. Adults are more likely to enjoy this kind of humour and they are more likely to enjoy how the story keeps repeating its self and the humour that this actually creates in the short film "Thirst".

The codes and conventions that are used in the short film help to give the short film a comedic edge to the short film. For example The costumes that are used are to help identify to the audience the age group of the characters that are being shown in the short film. For example in the short film the characters are wearing casual comfy clothes that people would be seen to be wearing now a days. This is indicates to the audience that they are young adults because this is what young adults would be wearing. The lighting is also important, the lighting in the short film helps to create the desert atmosphere which helps to make the locations more believable, as they also are using natural light to film in for example in the desert scenes. This also makes the location more believable because it is stereotyped that in a desert location there is lots of sun and natural light. the sound that is used in the short film help to create the desert also it also stereotypes western kind of music from western films that where made. This helps to create a stereotypical western setting in the short film. Which adds to the comedy to the short film "Thirst" because it is not a typical western short film which makes it seem like the character is alienated from the surroundings which it makes more comedic for the audience to watch. the camera angles also help to create the comedic feel to the short film for example the shots of the landscape around the main character help to create the feel of alienation for the character, also the high angle shot looking down on the character face as he walks through the desert, this helps to show the comedy as the character is struggling to walk through the desert,

(High angle shot-looking down on characters face)

(Shots of character with desert surrondings)

 

 Also the shots when the character is underwater help to show how happy he is to see water and shows it in a comedic way for example the characters facial expressions help to create the comedic feel to the piece. these kind of shorts also help to build up the comedic approach to the short film because you instantly know when he touches the water he is transported to the desert again. Also the long shot at the end with the girl character is also comedic as she in the previous shots ignored the main male character but then she is then transported to the desert when she drinks out of the bottle of water.

                                             (Shot of main character underwater)

                                           (Long shot of girl in desert)


Editing- At the beginning of the short film the pace of editing is slow, for example when there is establishing shots of the surronding desert, the pace of editing is slow so that the audience know exactly where the short film is based and the isolation of the setting of the short film as well. The pace of editing does not really change throughout the short film 'Thirst', this is effective as you get to understand what the character is going for example in the film it is the fact that when the main character has a drink of the water he is transported to the desert. This also builds up the comedic value of the short film as well because you know exactly what is going to happen to the characer. Cross cutting is used when the main character has a drink the shot is cut so the main character is transported to the desert, the cross cutting in the short film is very effective because you know what is coming before the cross cutting is actually used. They also use fade ins when the main character is in the swimming pool, this is used to show how happy the character is when he is in the swimming pool. The fade ins look effective and work better in this scenerio as using normal cuts would proberly not work as well in the pool scene.

sound - Sound is used effectively in the short film for example the is sound playing in the background of the short film which helps to create an atmosphere and helps to show the isolation of the character as well. Dialogue is also used, this is used to show what the character is going through and how annoying it must be to not be able to drink water, and if you did drink some water being transported to the desert. Ambient sound is also used this is used as the desert sounds, this makes the desert come to life and makes it alot more believable and releastic as a audience member watching the short film. This is used in multiple scenes for example when the tumble weed is going across the screen or when the main character jumps into the swimming pool near the end of the short film.


Dan

Purge poster

This is another short film poster that we have chosen for analysis. This is a short film poster for the film "Purge". "Purge" was a short film in 2008 which was written and directed by Brad Kammlah. This short film has won awards and has been shown at alot of film festivals in America. The film is about a girl who was abused by her father, but her Mother does not believe her, so she has to find her own way out of the situation.

The target audience for this film is narrowed down compared to most short film, as this is an extremly upsetting and emotional topic to actually show, and has it is a hrad subject to discuss the target audience for the film is narrowed down. The target audience for the short film is proberly for people who have been in the same situation that the main character is in and that they can relate to the character and her struggle trying to get out of the situation that she is in. But this could also target people who do not know much about this upsetting and emotional topic and want to know about the topic and how this character managed to try and find a way out of the situation and away from her abusive father.

The masthead for the poster is located in the middle of the poster. The masthead is written in white which stands out from the background, but it does not take the attention away from the main image which is located right next to the masthead. The masthead does not use fancy writting as this is not right for the topic that the film covers. The writting is more plain and is more suttle, which is more relevent to the topic of the short film. The main image is located next to the masthead, The main image is of half of the main characters face. The upsetting look on the main characters face indicates that this is going to be an emotional short film and may be upsetting for some audience members, just the fact that only half of her face is showing indicates that maybe after all the years of abuse she is only half a person, because the other half of that person has been ruined by the years of abuse from her father. The main image is the main focus of the poster and stands out from the background and the masthead. This means that she is the main theme of the film and that the focus will mainly be on her throughout the film. The background on the poster for the short film "Purge" has been blured out, this indicates that nothing else is really important apart from the fact that this main character has to escape from being abused and to try and get her mum to believe her. This also makes the main image and the masthead stand out more as the first thing you would see would be the main image and then the masthead. There is also some text at the bottom of the poster which has details about the crew for example directors, actors ect, even this is suttle and does not take the attention away from the main character herself. The text is written in white which stands out from the background but is less suttle than the masthad.

The short film "Purge" was directed and written by Brad Kammlah, The film starred Danielle Hagan, Mark Arnold and Mary McNeill. The cinematography for the film was done by Gigi Malavasi. The short film was distributed by Take Flight Films and Take Flight Films was also the production company for the short film as well. "Purge" has apperead at many film festivals for example LA shorts fest, Mammoth Film Festival and the playhouse west film festival just to name a few, but it has also won awards such as best dramatic short, Best score in a short film and the honorable mention best short drama.

Dan

Connected poster

The target audience for this poster would range from young adults to parents of young children. Although there are two faces of children on the poster the angle and children's expressions suggest either a serious topic or something that is not child friendly; another suggestion that makes the poster not child friendly is that there is no use of colour to attract a younger audience and the layout is very simple with a bold however uninteresting font that would not appeal to younger children however would appeal to young adults or parents of young children.

The codes and conventions of the poster suggest a relationship between the two boys on the cover because of the close eye contact shown; the faces are also a similar size but different shapes because of the expressions of the boys however there is no clear dominance of either character. The use of black and white makes the poster connote the idea of a serious topic or factual content but then the expression of the boys could be perceived to add other layers of possible comedy or relation for the audience. By having two boys on the poster also connotes a possible theme of film that the cast may be made up of young children and their parents possibly featuring. The master head of "Connected" with the simple but bold font between the two boys makes a visual connection between the two characters. A subheading of "How many people are the same?" is used under the Master head to ask the rhetorical question which makes the audience wish to know the answer.

Leah Brine

The climb poster

This is one of the short film posters that we have chosen for analysis. This poster is for the short film called "The Climb". On the website for "The Climb" there are several different posters that could of been used but by my opinion this is proberly the better poster.

The targeted audience for this short film is stated by the characters that are sitting at the bottom of the post. This means that the target audience is going to be teenagers or students, this is because of the fact that at the bottom of the short film poster there are two teenagers that are proberly students as well, so this poster would be targeted those kind of people. Proberly targeting the age group between the ages of 15-19. Another clue to the targeted audience is the graffiti on the wall in the background of the poster. This indicates that the film will be about young people, because of the fact that young people are sterotyped of creating graffiti, as the graffiti is surronding it indicates that this short film will be about young people and is targeted at young people.

This short film poster has a masthead which is located towards the top of the poster. The masthead is written in grey which matches the colour scheme of the background, but the masthead has a different effect such as an erroded effect which makes it stand out from the grey background. Also there is a shadow effect on the masthead which makes it look like the title is coming out of the wall, which gives it a 3D effect, this would grab peoples attention because not many film posters have this 3D effect. Also the masthead is bold which also makes it stand out and grab targeted audience attentions. The rest of the text is written in white which makes it easy to read as it stands out from the grey background. The grey background of the poster is a dull colour but it is effective because it does not take the attention away from the characters sitting down at the bottom of the poster or even the masthead, as it is a dull colour it will make the targeted audience look at the main parts of the poster such as the characters and the masthead. This also could represent something about the film for example it could represent the fact that this short film could be depressive as grey is a depressive colour that is used to represent depression. The graffiti is also important as it is the most colourful part of the poster, this part of the poster is the part that is most likely to grab people attention because of the bold colours and the style that it is written in. It also tells the audience a lot about the film to and the targeted audience. There are also two main characters which are in the bottom of the poster, This helps to tell the audience what the target audience for the short film, and there depressive facial expressions help to indicate to the audience what might actually happen in the short film or that the short film might be depressive.

This short film was created by Jason Mckinnon. The short film was created when he was jsut 16 and had just started making short independent films. He short the film with no budget at all, so he had to get rid of complex locations and jsut stick to the basics. Jason Mckinnon has made lots of different short films and has a webiste where he discusses the film and talks about what worked in the films and what he had to change to make these films possible, the two actors are Michael Clarke and Alyssa Laplume.

Dan

Reminiscence short film

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ej8ax3eISQs

The codes and conventions of "Reminiscence" imply the depressed and saddened mood of the main male character as he relives the memories he had with his past partner by her grave side.
The change in coloured filters between the characters current position and the flashback help connote the change of time and the mood of the characters within the scene. When the man is on his own in the grave yard the colours are quite bright and mystical which heightens the sense of uncontrollable emotion in the scene and its surrealness. Whereas in the flashback a black and white filter has been used to connote a change in time and as black and white photos and videos are usually related to past events it shows the time period very strongly. Winter and cold weather can also be used as pathetic falicy to connote the sad feelings of a character.

The costume of the male in the first scene is a black coat with winter accessories such as gloves and a scarf to connote the season. The fact that the clothing is modern for both characters connotes the idea that it is a recent loss and one a more modern day generation could connote too. The music in the scene is slow and uses classical instruments to create a particular link to the audiences senses as classical instruments are often used to create sad pieces of music. The physicality between the two characters connotes the relationship between the two because its constant and subtle which connote a very romantic relationship. The dialogue in the scene states simply what is already connoted through other parts of the film that the male character misses the female character but that she had to go. This adds another layer however to the film as it now changes the story line from being a flash back to the scene going on in the mans imagination.

Establishing shots are used in the film to connote the characters surroundings, often followed by close ups of the characters faces to connote the characters feelings towards the situation, place and each other.

A pan is used when the man is by the graveside, from the flowers to his down turned face to show the connection between the character and the deceased. It also emphasis's the mans hand on the grave to show affection and closeness to the women he once loved.

Midshots are also used in the short film to show the contact between the two characters in the flash back. It allows the audience to see the physical contact but also helps connote the emotional bond with clearer views of the characters faces.

Close ups are also used in the short film to connote the characters emotion further and is also used to really engage the audience. The close up used in this particular scene highlights the only bit of dialogue in the short film which creates even more of an emphasis.

Crosscutting is used throughout the film to show various scenes of the couple running, hugging and interacting with each other, the use of cross-cutting in this way creates a simple montage of scenes that connote the relationship between the characters in a short space of time which is effective for short films; this helps create emotional bonds between the audience and the characters.

Fading is used to fade in and out of the flash back to show that it is not happening in present time and is actually something that is accuring out of memory. Fading also connotes time differences, settings and makes simple shots seem more intense as you have to wait for things to come into focus.

The target audience of this particular short film would be the age ranges of the characters in the film as there is little to suggest other wise. There costume is modern day and causal therefore could appeal to any class and gender. In particular it may appeal to people who have been through similar circumstances, losing someone, however it may also be of interest to people who are wanting to look into making there own short film and wanting to show raw emotion. However the problem with this film as that because it is an ammeter short film the camera angles and story line is not well developed therefore may not appeal to a wider audience then the one it is targeting. Similarly however others may appreciate the simplicity of the film.

Brother Film Studios are the institution behind "Reminiscence" and they are an independent film company who also make ammeter advertisements and other short films.

Leah Brine